The present invention relates generally to a method and system for repairing a defect in a component, such as a gas turbine engine component (e.g., blades, vanes, etc.). More particularly, the present invention relates to a repair system and method that includes substantially removing a defect from a component by forming a slot in the component to remove a section that substantially encompasses the defect.
A gas turbine engine component, such as a blade tip, a blade trailing edge, a blade platform, a vane trailing edge, or a vane platform, may become damaged during use. During operation, the gas turbine engine component is typically exposed to high pressure, foreign objects, or high temperatures. Over time, these operating conditions may cause small cracks or other defects to develop in the gas turbine engine component. Although such defects may be small, they often have a significant impact, and the gas turbine engine component may be rendered unacceptable for use. As such, many repair processes have been developed to salvage these gas turbine engine components. It is important that the repair process or system generally preserve the integrity of the gas turbine engine component, and does not adversely affect functionality of the gas turbine engine component.
Defects in gas turbine engine components have typically been repaired by hand. In one approach, an operator holds the defective gas turbine engine component in his hand while using a grinding wheel, a carbide cutter, or other tool or cutting surface to route out (i.e., remove) at least a substantial amount of the defect in the part. The operator generally determines a geometry of the section to be removed based upon the type and location of the defect. Thereafter, the gas turbine engine component is built back up, such as by welding a replacement piece to the gas turbine engine component, in order to place the gas turbine engine component in a condition that allows it to be returned to service in an engine. This approach is less than ideal because various operators may utilize different cutting surfaces (e.g., grinding wheels), which may remove different amounts of material from a gas turbine engine component, possibly creating different edge geometries. A diversity in edge geometries may cause the welding process to be more difficult and variable from one operator to another. Further, the inability to reproduce repair procedures may be a drawback in some manufacturing and servicing environments.